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The idea of cultural competency has taken increased importance as the world’s economies become ever more intermingled. What were once just the skills needed by a company’s “road warrior” executives are now needed by the rank-and-file, who might have employees from many cultures just on their own team. Cultural competency takes many forms, but here are the top 5 traits that you can expect from a culturally competent employee. 1. World-class communication skills Yes, foreign language proficiency is important to having success in communicating on a multicultural level. To paraphrase Nelson Mandela, speaking in your language might go to someone’s head,…

The public perception of Latino education in the United States is one of failure and daunting tasks. A new report seeks to dispel that perception. Washington, DC-based think tank Excelencia in Education just released “The Condition of Latinos in Education: 2015 Factbook”, a report with some startling realities about the state of Latino education. The misperceptions For instance, public schools are not flooded with Latino students who cannot speak English. In truth, only 18 percent of Latino students are classified as English Language Learners (ELLs). They are also more likely to enroll in post-secondary education than their white and African…

With developing markets helping to power a rebounding economy, it’s no surprise that more companies are sending employees on international assignments. In fact, according to a Cartus Relocation study, 57 percent of companies feel their international assignments will increase over the next two years. However, the failure rate for such assignments is estimated at 40 percent. Selecting the right employee for the assignment can go a long way toward making sure you’re in the 60 percent. Here are the personality traits to be looking for. Communication skills Obviously, the ability to speak the language of the host country is ideal…

With the demands of the ever-increasing global economy, it’s important to understand just how ready your workforce is to meet those challenges. You might think you have a handle on your employees’ skills in the area of global readiness, but perhaps you aren’t receiving the right information. Our new report, Driving Global Readiness: A Road Map, relays the story of the president of the Kendall-Jackson vineyard finding out during the filming of Undercover Boss that his workers don’t fully understand English. He had no idea because senior management is often not involved in matters of language learning and cultural competency.…

For the optimists, the growth of the nation’s English language learner (ELL) population is an opportunity to integrate millions of bilingual, culturally skilled students into the US economy. Currently, ELLs represent about 11 percent of the public school population, with that figure projected to grow to 25 percent in the next decade. That being said, there are still many challenges to overcome to make those integration dreams a reality. The first step in any ELL program is improving the students’ language development. It’s an uphill battle, but there are ways to efficiently, effectively close the gap. The Rosetta Stone® Language…

Calling all gamers! Playing video games is great cognitive exercise; it helps improve your focus, memory, and ability to multitask. And now with Rosetta Stone’s Discover Languages Xbox launch, you can also use a video game to learn a new language. Rosetta Stone’s new application teaches English and Spanish by way of immersive simulation. Virtual travel experiences teach you the vocabulary and grammar necessary for real-world interactions. So before you book a flight to a foreign destination, grab your controller. How does it work? You’ll explore several locations in the Discovery Zone and chat with the characters you find there. In…

Sometimes when it comes to English Language Learner education, we talk broadly about population shifts and graduation statistics. Instead, let’s go ground level. Here are the top 10 ways Rosetta Stone® Language Learning Suite solutions help ELL students in their classroom every day. #10 – Professional development for non-ELL teachers Very few ELL students find themselves in ELL-only classes. They tend to be “mainstreamed” into at least a few core subject classes with their English-speaking classmates. Those teachers need to be familiar with ELL education, but it helps to be able to have at least a passing understanding of an…

Sending an employee on a long term overseas assignment is a big decision for an organization, one made with the future of the company in mind. It’s anticipated that the employee will come back with a wealth of new knowledge and ready to take an expanded role in the company. What turns out to be the case for 38 percent of repatriated employees is that they leave their company within a year of returning from their assignment. There are many possible reasons for this, including culture shock and lack of a position at the home office that reflects their new…

Guest post by The Chairman’s Bao. I know what you’re thinking… it makes so much more sense for me to stick to learning Latin-based languages. Why would I ever consider learning a language as extreme as Mandarin Chinese? And, where would I even start? Hold that thought! There has never been a better time to start learning Mandarin Chinese. Fact! What’s more, it might not even be as difficult as you first thought… let me explain: Mandarin Chinese isn’t difficult, it’s just different Firstly, Chinese vocabulary just makes sense. Words are constructed from a set of roots, called radicals. With…